For Liberty, Equality...and Survival - Vote Green

http://www.greenparty.org.uk/

This week has seen a tirade of bad news even in the richest country in the world. The Boston bombing, the explosion of a chemical fertiliser plant in the aptly names town of West, and the continuing drought in the American Mid West which now seriously threatens world food supplies in the second half of this year.

And, too, the longer term looks little better across the whole planet - with a UN report setting out how the last decade has seen carbon emissions reaching unprecedented levels and governments turning away from reducing greenhouse gas production towards the sci fi scenario of tech fixes such as, somehow, sucking carbon and similar damaging gases out of the atmosphere in unimaginable quantities. The self-interest of a capitalist system, driven by seeking in every transaction, every resource and every atom an opportunity to extract value rather than use for the common good, has bought up the political system around the planet. Everything is for sale; even the future.

We need a new politics. The change we need won't come from the current system or parties. If we are to survive and thrive, we need to make fairer and sustainable use of our resources and build real, genuine freedom - from want, from wage-slavery, from the vested interests of the few.

Next week, in England and Wales, the Green Party goes into the local county elections on 2 May with an unashamed platform calling out to those who want public services renationalised and put to use for the common good; for those who want to scrap nuclear weapons rather than waste tens of billions on destruction; and for those who support a redistribution of wealth through fairer taxes and investment in sustainable green jobs.

A vote for the Greens supports these and more moves towards a world where the interdependence of ecology and social justice are not just recognised, but embraced and nurtured. It is just one small step but it is on a journey where every single one matters. Every inch gained is an inch towards a future that will work, where humanity can survive and thrive.

The broadcast is here. The Polling stations are near wherever you live.